Bagley Baits Pro Drew Benton Shareshis Winning Tactics
Florida-based bass brain and Bagley Pro, Drew Benton, shares his winning tactics for bedding fish and the concurrent shad spawn buffet
BEMIDJI, Minn. (April 27, 2023) – This past weekend, Panama City, Florida-based Bagley Baits pro, Drew Benton, added another Bassmaster Elite win to his growing resume of firsts and top 10 finishes. With a four-day total of 87 pounds even, Benton closed the gap on Tennessee’s Hunter Shryock’s second-place finish by nearly a pound-and-a-half. The win amounted to a $100,000 payday plus bonuses and incentives.
“I slipped around sight-fishing and throwing a topwater during practice and noticed a lot of bedding bass,” says Benton. “Timing-wise, it played out perfectly because that’s the kind of fishing I really love doing.”
For the first two days of the tournament, Benton concentrated on shallow, bedding fish each day and weighed in 23-pound-plus bags.
Then, on Day 3, the conditions changed, and it was windy and overcast on Lake Murray.
“Without the sun, I couldn’t see quite as well, even though I was fishing the same areas,” recalls Benton. “So, toward the end of Day 3 I started fishing some creeks that nobody had touched yet. After a nearly sleepless night, this gave me my confidence back. I knew I’d have opportunity to put together another good bag on the fourth and final day.”
Chatting with a couple other tournament contenders later that night, Benton learned of a shad spawn along rip-rap farther down the lake from his shallow, spawn bite.
“Looking back now, it was kind of a gamble, but I had to try something different than what I did on Day 3. The guys I talked to didn’t catch many fish, with a lot of chasers, but no biters. Nonetheless, I headed down to the rip-rap and caught two fish right off the bat on a Bagley Pro Sunny B—two fish pushing 4 pounds each,” says Benton.
An Olive Shad Pro Sunny B proved deadly for Benton along shoreline rip-rap.>
Benton says it was “nuts” up and down Murray’s intermittent rip-rap banks.
“There were giant balls of shad everywhere. But some areas were better than others. Anywhere I found shade, I found bass using it as ambush locations to gobble up bait. In particular, I found three points that had trees casting shadows on the water where bass were active. After each time I boated a fish, a new fish would slide up into the same place I casted,” divulges Benton.
“In terms of working the Pro Sunny B,” offers Benton, “I was winding the bait as fast as I possibly could without it blowing out. And we’re talking super-fast since I was using an 8:1 reel loaded with 15-pound fluorocarbon on a 7’ medium-power rod. That’s how you had to work it, or the bass would just slap it. Once I figured out the shade and speed thing, it all came together.”
After a couple big fish—each caught without any aid of forward-facing sonar—Benton motored back to the creeks that had done him right sight-fishing on days 1 and 2.
“Leaving the rip-rap shad spawn bite, I had a little under 20 pounds, and then caught three more off beds, culling up to 27 pounds, which was a pound over my goal of 25 or 26 for the final day.”
About the Bagley Pro Sunny B
Built off the iconic Sunny B body and design, the Pro Sunny B has a larger body and produces a tighter action than traditional square bill crankbaits. Bagley’s HCM process combines a delicate balsa action with the strength of a welded through-wire design. Bang the Pro Sunny B into rocks, rip-rap and timber and you can bet it will come back asking for more. For many anglers the Pro Sunny B angler is their “go-to” square bill amidst countless other baits available today.
Where to Fish Bagley’s Pro Sunny B Crankbait
Fish the Pro Sunny B in 5-6 feet around rocks and laydowns. Use a lighter, 10- to 15-pound fluorocarbon to emphasis its tight action and buoyancy – and don’t be scared to let its sturdy square lip bang right into structure head-on. It’s designed to deflect wonderfully and bass out of their hiding places.
The Pro Sunny B crankbait is manufactured using Bagley’s exclusive Heat Compression Molding (HCM) process—a real technological advancement in making high-quality balsa lures. HCM allows for a full wire through design, creating greater lure strength and more durability when used with today’s modern lines and equipment. HCM also promises precise internal weighting bait-to-bait right out-of-the box that track perfectly and are easy to cast.
In terms of size, the Pro Sunny B is 3-inches long and 1/2 ounce, with a diving depth of 5 to 7 feet. Anglers can choose from 20 bass-catching colors, including Benton’s favorite at the recent Lake Murray Elite event, Olive Shad.
Tap the Shad Spawn Bite At Home
Got shad where you fish? Keep a bead on the right temps for their spawn along rip-rap and other gravel or rock-laden near-shore structure. A lot of times you can see the massive balls of procreating bait busting the surface and flickering around right along shore. Feeding birds is another sign that something’s going on that might mean bass activity.
Threadfin shad generally spawn from 70 degrees through 80, depending on length of day and night and weather.
As far as sight-fishing shallow, bedding bass, look at the Bagley and Northland assortments, which include many great baits that will agitate big females into slurping up the intruder—and just plain get eaten by nearby males.
To check out the full line of Bagley’s premium balsa hardbaits, exciting new colors and hardbait kits, visit https://www.bagleybait.com.
ABOUT Northland Fishing Tackle
In 1975, a young Northwoods fishing guide named John Peterson started pouring jigs and tying tackle for his clients in a small remote cabin in northern Minnesota. The lures were innovative, made with high quality components, and most importantly, were catching fish when no other baits were working! Word spread like wildfire, the phone started ringing… and the Northland Fishing Tackle® brand was in hot demand!
For 40 years now, John and the Northland® team have been designing, testing and perfecting an exclusive line of products that catch fish like no other brand on the market today. Manufactured in the heart of Minnesota’s finest fishing waters, Northland® is one of the country’s leading producers of premium quality jigs, live bait rigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for crappies, bluegills, perch, walleyes, bass, trout, northern pike and muskies.
ABOUT Bagley Bait Company
The personality of any company comes from its founder. Jim Bagley was an inventive, fun-loving, passionate fisherman who became one the most respected legends in the fishing tackle industry. In late 2010, Jarmo Rapala and a group of investors bought Bagley Bait Company.
As an admirer of Jim Bagley for his attention to quality and of his product ingenuity and innovation, Jarmo initiated significant changes in operations, enhanced production processes and quality control. Now in 2020, Northland® Fishing Tackle, along with Jarmo as its Chief Lure Designer, maintain the legacy of creating premium balsa crankbaits and topwater lures, as well as jigs and spoons for both freshwater and saltwater anglers.
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